A Somber Cermony to End the Year

About 60 people gathered for a somber New Year’s Eve ceremony at the Saints Fellowship Mission Church of God in Christ in St. Louis. They held an annual vigil to remember those murdered in 2006. St. Louis recorded 129 murders last year. St. Louis County had 21 homicides. The candlelight vigil began in 1991 with the founding of the group Families Advocating Safe Streets. The St. Louis police chief promised those in attendance to never stop until their cases have been resolved. Kansas City saw an upsurge in murders in the second half of 2006, but still saw the number of homicides drop from 2005. Kansas City police say 115 people were killed last year, down from 127 in 2005. That was a nine percent decline, but, at one time, the drop was closer to 30%. Then, the numbers jumped dramatically between July and December, pushed by an unusual number of multiple murders, including incidents in which six people were killed, as well as a quadruple homicide and a triple homicide